The All Progressives Congress solidified its commanding hold on Nigeria's Senate on Wednesday, gaining a two-thirds majority after Labour Party lawmaker Kelvin Chukwu from Enugu East defected to the ruling party, shrinking LP's ranks to a mere four senators.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio read Chukwu's defection letter during plenary, boosting APC's tally to 73 seats in the 109-member chamber.

The Peoples Democratic Party retains 28, with the All Progressives Grand Alliance holding two, and single seats for the Social Democratic Party and New Nigeria Peoples Party.

Chukwu, who stepped into the role after his brother Oyibo's assassination ahead of the 2023 polls, cited the Labour Party's internal fractures and factionalism as the tipping point.

"The protracted crisis rocking the LP, which has led to its factionalisation, is seriously affecting its members," Chukwu stated in his letter, underscoring policy clashes and a lack of direction that eroded party cohesion.

His departure leaves Senator Okey Ezea as the sole LP representative from Enugu State, amplifying concerns over the party's post-2023 election stability.

Akpabio, welcoming the shift, quipped about opposition disarray amid applause from APC benches. "I want a strong and vibrant opposition in Nigeria. But where they are not able to organise themselves... the right thing is to join us so we can move this country forward," he said, poking at PDP's "torn umbrella" and LP's "tatters."